Friday Daydreamin'

Happy Friday y'all! It's my favorite time of the bloggy week - I love looking at vacation & travel photos - I grab a big cup of coffee and dream away!  

This week, my Big Girl turned 11, so I wanted to honor her and her love of adventure (or she says she loves it as I'm dragging her along...) by highlighting a few of my favorite travel photos with her:

Enchanted Rock in Fredericksburg, Texas in 2010

Tubing on Lake LBJ in 2007

Disney World when she turned 4 in 2005

Port Aransas, Texas in 2008

Another Pic of the Happiest Place on Earth in 2005

Biloxi, MS in 2005

What are you daydreaming about today?  Link up over at R We There Yet Mom, Delicious Baby, and Budget Traveler's Sandbox for their Travel Photo Memes. 

She's 11???

My babygirl turns 11 today......

Has 11 years really gone by that quickly?

Where did my precious baby girl go?  Where did my dancing toddler go?  Where did my rambunctious kindergartner go?  Where did my passionate 3rd grader go?

Ugh.  Why does it go so fast?  Days like this make you want to put the brakes on.  I am so very proud of the young woman she becoming, yet so regretful of the time that is gone.  Did I hug her enough?  Did I tell her she is amazing enough?  Did I play with her enough?  Did I teach her enough?

Did I spend enough time with her? never.....

It's moments like these that motherhood is hard - you want them to become strong, independent people, yet you want to hold them and protect them forever....

All you have to do is be thankful for the precious gift that God gave to you and you will know that you did the best you could.

Happy 11th Birthday to my Sweet Girl.  I love you.

How NOT to Get a Picture of a Celebrity

Last fall, I received a call from my husband after my daughter's soccer game.  I was out of town and had missed it.  After the normal "how'd she do conversation", he mentions, "oh yeah, one of the dads from the other team was some guy from Friday Night Lights."

What??

Which one??? "I dunno."

AHH! I love loved that show- seriously, which one?

"It's the guy who was in Super 8."

KYLE CHANDLER???  You mean the guy who just won an Emmy for his role?  

"um. yeah.  I guess so. He's just a dad, watching his daughter play soccer."

I was so bummed to have missed that game.

A few weeks later they played them again and guess who was out of town...again!

So this Spring I made sure I was going to be at their game.  Even planned weeks ahead on what I should do.  

Do I play it cool and act like I don't know him? Nope.  I'd regret not talking to him.

Do I go up to him right away and tell him I think he's a fantastic actor? Nope.  I will get all tongue-tied and act like a stupid girl.

Hubby thought I was ridiculous - thought I needed to just leave him alone.  He's just trying to watch his daughter play.  Nope. Not me.  If he chooses to be an actor as a profession, he needs to understand that people are going to want to meet him.  Besides, he's Coach Taylor for goodness sakes - he's awesome!

Sunday came - I had my camera and all my lenses ready.  And I became a stupid girl. 

I was overcome with butterflies as I snuck shots of him.

Walking by me.... What? Can't you tell that's him?

 Sitting down next to us...

 He was chatting with everyone about how great the weather was - my friend, Dolly (in the pink hat) talked with him for a long while....all the time knowing I was dying to talk to him!

 I even used my son (I know!) to try to take his picture.... it's a terrific shot of his legs.....

 This one is so much better.....

 So then I started to get braver.  Sis was about to take a corner shot so I scooted down on the other end of the field to take her pic and quickly snapped a few.

Now he's looking like Coach Taylor!

 All the while, I am texting Connie (since she was the only other person who cared that I was at a soccer game with Coach Taylor) and even recorded him yelling, since it sounded so "Coach Taylor-y":

 So yes, I did watch my kids' soccer games - I wasn't totally obsessing the whole game.  Brody was actually playing on the field right behind Sis, so it was really easy for me to turn back & forth to watch them both.  After about 10 mins of freaking out inside, I started to do what I was there for - be a mom taking pics of my kids.....

At one point I was taking pics of Brody's game when HE started to watch the boys' game and asked if I had a son playing too?

(don't freak out...don't freak out)


"Yep - it figures they are at the same time"

"Man these boys are good...etc...."

And we talked about soccer and kids and coaching and being proud of your kids and rugby (don't ask- he brought it up?).  It was then that I realized, I was talking to a dad who was watching his daughter playing soccer - not an Emmy-award winning actor from one of my favorite tv shows.  He was just a regular guy.  And that was pretty cool.

Of course, did I get my shot? - absolutely - at the end of the conversation I told him, "look, I know who you are and I think your a terrific actor.  Would you mind if I got a picture with you to show my friends?"

He smiled real big, said "of course, here, let me show you how the pros do it....."

And he took our picture.

Friday Daydreamin': Now that's Big $$$$

Happy Friday y'all! It's my favorite time of the bloggy week - I love looking at vacation & travel photos - I grab a big cup of coffee and dream away!  

While at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and History Museum, my son spotted this in a display case.  

"WOW- Mom, mom - look at this - is that real??"

A guide just happened to be standing there and confirmed for us that yes, indeed the $1000 was real.  Apparently, it was printed in the mid 1930s and have been taken out of circulation due to the use of these high denominations in drug trafficking.  Huh.

Pretty cool - tI just love it when my kiddos discover something cool that I would have breezed right past.

What are you daydreaming about today?  Link up over at R We There Yet Mom, Delicious Baby, and Budget Traveler's Sandbox for their Travel Photo Memes. 

Ten Things to Smile About: March

I can hardly believe that the month of March is almost over.  seriously.  Wasn't it just Christmas yesterday???

March was a spectacular month for the Darlings.  We gained not ONE but TWO new cousins!!!! Matt's Brother had Baby #3 - an adorable Girl and his Sister had her first - a precious baby Boy!! Being that they live far far away from us, I have no pictures to share.  But you know they would be the top of my list of Things to Smile about this month!!

With Spring Break, we had a ton of things to smile about this month, but I was able to narrow it down: 

1. Daddy & Daughter Dance - Sis was the perfect Alice with the dance theme being "Alice & Wonderland".  This may be their last dance, as it is "totally not cool to do this in middle school mom".  So, I was happy they were able to go this year - I always want to be a fly on the wall at these things! 

2. That same night, Brody earned his Bear Badge, making his next step a Webelo Scout.  He loves Cub Scouts and can't wait to get to Boy Scouts where he can go camping on his own with his Den. 

3. Sis was a part of her school's BlueBonnet Book Club and was selected to go to the district level competition.  It was a Jeopardy - type competition over the 40-something books on the list.  It was pretty exciting - so proud of my girl!

4. Over Spring Break, we headed to SeaWorld and I was a little nervous about if Bubba would enjoy it and how he would last all day without a nap.  He did awesome!  Waited pretty well for the shows and hardly fussed a bit.  He loved seeing the animals and the shows made him laugh.  Best of all, he really enjoyed his first ride!

5. A visit to South Congress in Austin is never complete without my favorite Hey Cupcake! from the airstream trailer. We tried their new John Lemon (get it?) - not bad, but I'll stick with my SweetBerry, thanks! Pastryschools.net should also be able to teach you how to make your own delectable cupcakes.

6. It is really hard to pick a favorite thing we did over Spring Break.  Honestly, we did a TON.  But something that captured us for a good half hour was the Bubble room at the Mayborn Museum in Waco - all the kids loved having a bubble built around them!

7. This picture makes me smile - Bubba was dragged around with us on Spring Break and handled no naps, lots of walking, and forced stroller time like a champ.  One afternoon we sat under a big oak tree in a hanging swing by the river and relaxed.  Sis shot this picture.  Can you see the love??

8. With Dad working, much of the exploring was with the kids & myself. But on Friday night of the break, we were able to take Dad to the famed Coopers BBQ in Llano.  We pigged out - it was so yummy - and still saved room for dessert - Matt's favorite blackberry cobbler!

9. One last thing that makes me smile?  Planning April Fools Jokes!  And the fact that I get to write for Quirky Momma each Monday (ok, that's two things).  Check out this latest post!!  And visit the Quirky Momma website often- there are TONS of great ideas of things to do with your kids for all age groups!

10. Lastly, this fun recap of our Spring Break makes me smile the most - Not the video itself, but the memory of trying to get the kids to dance everywhere we went - Brody balked at the idea, as you can see.  Except at one point - can you see where?



Linking up with these fun ladies today!

My Grandma

My paternal Grandma is 85 years old.  Believe me, I know how blessed I have been to have had her all 38 years of my life.  My earliest memories of her are in the kitchen - man, can she cook.  Lasagna, Chicken Kiev, Curry, the best Christmas cookies you have ever had, homemade cakes, Monkey Bread, Eggs Benedict, and on and on.  I once watched her cook a hot German Potato Salad from a 1945 Betty Crocker cookbook and did not skip one step or take one shortcut.  Man, that was the best potato salad I have ever had.  

Recently, my Grandma, my Aunt and I threw a shower for my cousin.  Grandma insisted on making homemade Petit Fours - just like the ones she made for my mom's wedding shower in the 60's.  I tried to convince her that buying them from a bakery would be so much easier - but she wouldn't hear of it.

The day of the shower, Grandma and I tackled the Petit Fours.

And we both agreed that it would be her last time to make them and my first and definitely LAST time to make them too!

They may not have been pretty - we just couldn't figure out the right consistency to make the icing stay on the side s- but they were "oh-my-goodness" good. Don't ask how many of these bad boys I ate that day.

I don't care if they weren't pretty.  I love the one-on-one time I got with Grandma.

She is one amazing lady, my Grandma.  The wife of a Military Officer, she has survived WWII as a new wife, the Korean War as a mom, an Alaskan Earthquake, multiple heart surgeries, and the death of her oldest son.  She is compassionate and loving, and strong, and matriarchal.  She is the most organized woman I know - you should see her spice cabinet - and goes all out for family events.  Even at her age, she still wants to cook an elaborate dinner for everyone's birthdays.

You think she would be set in her ways, pushing away the modern conveniences of our century.  Nope - this lady can handle her cell phone perfectly - in fact she prefers to use it!  She has a whole slew of TV shows stored on her DVR and is always telling me about the "good ones".  And she reads voraciously.  In fact, she and I trade book reviews often.

As her eldest granddaughter, it is hard for me to come to terms with Grandma growing older.  I have known her as a young Grandma who would go swimming with me and get on the floor and play barbies.  Yet, it is so refreshing to me that I can have an adult conversation with her - get her advice on things - and hear new stories of her life as a mom of 4 children.  In fact, I found out the other day that she was a Tupperware saleswoman!  

I am so happy that my children have gotten to know her as "Grandma" too. Brody has a special bond with her - as a little boy he just loved to sit in her lap - and now as he is growing, I notice that he still gives her long hugs.  She is an amazing model of a loving Grandma - one I hope to inspire to be just like one day.

And when I am 85 and married for over 60+ years to the love of my life - I want to be smiling into my golden years - just like these 2 cuties!

Why is this so Funny???

Growing up in the South, I was taught to be a lady.  Say excuse me, thank you, may I please....etc. Hold the door open for others, offer assistance always, and more. And I appreciated learning those manners, as they were instilled at a young age and are all automatic now.  I catch myself doing the same thing with my kids to make sure they remember their manners too.

But my hubby derails that.  No, I don't mean he's a uncouth pig that came from the north (no offense).  He is very polite.  Until it comes to passing gas.

You know...tooting.

I was taught that you go to another room to toot alone, or if someone else accidentally toots, you make no note of it, don't laugh and make someone feel out of place.  That is the polite way to handle it.

But not Matt.  It's a HUGE JOKE to him.  And he has taught my kids that it is the funniest thing on the earth. I know that if all of them are giggling uncontrollably in the other room - don't go in there without a gas mask.  They laugh at noisy ones, long ones, silent but deadly ones..... sigh....so much for my well-mannered children.

And they can recall perfectly the time that mom has tooted (which is NOT that many - I go in the other room, remember?).  They just love to throw me under the bus and tell those stories.  Seriously, the one when I was pregnant is NOT THAT FUNNY!

But what can this mom do?  If I can't beat them, I have to join them.

Last night Bubba was in a singing mood and wanted to skype his "Gwa".  No one was online, and wanting to capture his song, I pulled open a movie and recorded this:



Why do I laugh uncontrollably every time I watch this movie??  Darn you Matt - I used to think tooting was shameful.  I used to cringe when I heard the F word (f*rt- ugh I still hate it!).  And by golly, I never would have thought my son tooting on camera was funny.  But now, I giggle along with them.

Oh dear, what's next?  Everyone eats with their hands???